The idea of going vegan was never something that I imagined as being realistic considering my urban, Midwestern upbringing. I, like many other African-Americans, had grown up with the thinking that a vegan lifestyle was a luxury - exclusive to white culture and unrealistic to the life I lived in one of the growing food deserts of Wichita, KS.

In the early 2000s, I became a vegetarian after seeing a documentary about the treatment of animals by commercial “farming”. I was disgusted by what I saw but after four years, I backslid to pescatarian…back to beef and eventually back to eating pork, lamb, deer and meat altogether. As tragic as the killing of animals is, it wasn’t something that truly impacted my heart or moved me to commit to standing for the ethical treatment of animals.

Even today, the decision to adopt a vegan lifestyle came, not from the typical support of animal rights, but by the need to receive healing from uterine fibroids. After five years and two procedures to remove a few fibroids that were more troublesome (the initial one weighing two pounds), doctors insisted they didn't know what caused fibroids and that they would always plague my life.

In July 2015, after being told that I would need to undergo myomectomy to remove another tumor, I could no longer ignore the tugging at my heart to change my lifestyle. God spoke directly to me saying, "You will be healed by your obedience." It was during this time that I set a goal to be eating a fully vegan diet by the beginning of September. From there, I began learning about the effects of meats and phytoestrogens on the female reproductive system and studying what foods are necessary to continue improving my health.

Nearly a year after fully transitioning to vegan, I have seen vast improvements to my feminine wellness and overall health. Just this past week, my husband and I received word from our life insurance company that my premium was literally cut in HALF because of my improved health.

My health continues to improve since my newfound love affair with food. I've always enjoyed cooking but learning about new ingredients and cooking from scratch even more has changed my view of food in an unexpected way. My whole relationship with food has changed.

Falling in love with both the art and science of food is much like our interpersonal relationships. Both relationships require conscious effort and great care to not only taste good but to be good for us!

There's Love to be found in the food we eat! Find yours and love yourself enough to embrace it!